Finally, a tribute to match the man: A poignant and dignified day but VIPs edge out relatives at Mandela farewell .
This was more like it. This was what the world had been waiting to see.
After nine mismanaged and at times farcical days of mourning, the Rainbow Nation at last got its act together yesterday, to give the man who mingled its multi-coloured palette the send-off his extraordinary achievements demanded.
Even on a flickering old TV, in a mud-built hut, where I watched much of the four-hour ceremony with a dozen of his relatives (whose grief was mixed with bitterness at being left off the guest-list) Nelson Mandela’s funeral was profoundly moving.
The emotions it invoked were no less
powerful as I watched the latter stages of the service with 1,000
sorrowful villagers on a giant screen rigged up on ‘Mandela Mound’ – a
hill overlooking the Wimbledon-like cluster of white marquees in the
grounds of Mandela’s mansion.
In contrast to the indignities we saw at last Tuesday’s soccer stadium memorial, with its bizarre sign language translator, crowd booing and ‘selfie’ photographs, this was (with one or two caveats) an occasion of sublime grace, punctuated with moments of poignancy and humour, high drama and raw emotion.
On a podium adorned with 95 huge candles, each marking a year of Mandela’s remarkable life, there were wonderful speeches, too.
Speeches from those who really knew and loved Mandela, such as his comrade for 67 years, Ahmed Kathradra, whose voice quivered with grief as he contrasted the tough prisoner who wielded a pick and shovel in the quarries of Robben Island with the frail figure to whom he said goodbye in hospital.
And from Mandela’s granddaughter, Nandi, 45, who had the far-from-easy task of representing his factionalised family – two wives, three daughters, 18 grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren – and performed the task commendably.
While the presidents and church leaders reached for superlatives that have all been used, Nandi drew on touching anecdotes to remind us of her tatamkhulu’s – or grandad’s – very human side.
Even Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, managed to smile as she told a story he had often related: about his youthful efforts to charm a pretty girl over dinner, which failed miserably – because he couldn’t pierce a rubbery piece of chicken with his fork.
In
a ceremony that combined magnificently the cultural traditions of
Mandela’s Thembu tribe with the military pomp of fly-pasts and marching
bands, however, the speaker who impressed me most was Chief Ngangomhlaba
Mantanzima.
With a leopard skin draped over his black suit and tie, he proudly recounted Mandela’s ancestral roots with a poetry and romanticism that would have been impossible to match in the English language.
Thanks to my Xhosa translator, I just about got the gist of it.
The only pity was that so few of the local people, with whom Mandela loved to sit and swap tales in his later years, were there to see and hear this dramatic spectacle.
Mandela would surely have wanted them to witness him being returned to the peaty hills he roamed as a child, for according to Xhosa traditions, the entire community is free to be there as one of their number is returned to his spiritual ancestors.
Yet, to their anger, only a handful of village elders were accredited.
Sadly, there were really two very different funerals yesterday. One for the 4,500 VIP guests whisked from the closed-down nearby airport in limos and a fleet of white buses, and another for the thousands kept at bay by roadblocks and soldiers, and treated as interlopers in their own village.
Eyebrows were raised at the funeral
yesterday when Gerry Adams was included in the guard of honour that
marched behind Nelson Mandela’s coffin.
The Sinn Fein leader – who once headed the IRA – had his name read out between human rights activist Jesse Jackson and Oprah Winfrey in a list of ‘eminent persons’ attending the event.
As a longstanding supporter of the ruling African National Congress, Mr Adams became a ubiquitous presence during a week of events to mark the anti-apartheid icon’s death.
He has always credited Mr Mandela as playing a major role in the Irish peace process.
But an ANC spokesman revealed he was not easily understood by the elder statesman. ‘When Gerry left, Madiba used to say, “Chaps, what was he saying?”’
The in-crowd
included some intriguing names. Alongside Prince Charles, the Reverend
Jesse Jackson and Richard Branson (resplendent in his crazily patterned
Mandela shirt), there was Gerry Adams, who we must presume had close
dealings with the great man, though they weren’t exactly advertised.
For earlier, when the coffin was removed from a military plane, the Sinn Fein leader marched behind it, in the guard of honour.
Then there was Oprah Winfrey, who was somehow permitted to bring Gayle King, her best friend and editor of her magazine, as well as her husband Stedman Graham.
To his niece, Gloria, 49, Mandela was more than an uncle; as she told me, he was her ‘inspiration’.
When she applied for a pass to the funeral, however, he was told there was insufficient room.
So, with her husband, Driver, 52, their six children and other family members, she sat through the saddest day of her life in her dank hut, one of many sprinkled across the hills.
As we watched the ceremony unfold together, for long periods Gloria stared silently at the screen, lost in her memories of the man who would call in for a pot of tea as he drove down the rutted track to see his controversial grandson and heir, Mandla.
As the names of the celebrities in the dome were read aloud, though, she began weeping softly. ‘My uncle loved us and we loved him, but these people – who are they?’ she sobbed, rubbing her eyes with her blue pinafore.
Leaving her with her grief and frustration, I juddered along the dirt-track, to ‘Mandela Mound’, where hundreds of well-wishers were queuing for meaty broth, served in plastic cartons, before sitting cross-legged on the grass to watch events on the big screen.
They really ought to have been part of the main event, because beneath their own marquee, shading them from the fierce sun, they looked a picture in their colourful outfits and fancy hats.
Xhosa culture requires a burial to have been completed by noon, when the sun is at its highest and its shadows at their shortest.
But as master of ceremonies Cyril Ramaphosa remarked, it was impossible to do justice to Nelson Mandela in a few hours, and the noon deadline was missed by some 45 minutes.
Stickler as he was for discipline, the man who cast the longest shadow would have been a little annoyed about that. But how proud he would have been yesterday at the way the world marked his passing.
After nine mismanaged and at times farcical days of mourning, the Rainbow Nation at last got its act together yesterday, to give the man who mingled its multi-coloured palette the send-off his extraordinary achievements demanded.
Even on a flickering old TV, in a mud-built hut, where I watched much of the four-hour ceremony with a dozen of his relatives (whose grief was mixed with bitterness at being left off the guest-list) Nelson Mandela’s funeral was profoundly moving.
A last goodbye: South African leader Jacob Zuma
gazes at the flag-draped coffin. Next to him are Mr Mandela¿s ex-wife
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela (left) and widow Graca Machel
Solemn send-off: Dignitaries and relatives pay
their respects at Nelson Mandela's coffin yesterday at the small,
private burial in Qunu
Royal handshake: Charles meets Zwelonke Sigcawu, King of the Xhosa tribe at Mr Mandela's burial service
Historic figure: Thousands of people have paid tribute to South Africa's first black president
In contrast to the indignities we saw at last Tuesday’s soccer stadium memorial, with its bizarre sign language translator, crowd booing and ‘selfie’ photographs, this was (with one or two caveats) an occasion of sublime grace, punctuated with moments of poignancy and humour, high drama and raw emotion.
On a podium adorned with 95 huge candles, each marking a year of Mandela’s remarkable life, there were wonderful speeches, too.
Speeches from those who really knew and loved Mandela, such as his comrade for 67 years, Ahmed Kathradra, whose voice quivered with grief as he contrasted the tough prisoner who wielded a pick and shovel in the quarries of Robben Island with the frail figure to whom he said goodbye in hospital.
And from Mandela’s granddaughter, Nandi, 45, who had the far-from-easy task of representing his factionalised family – two wives, three daughters, 18 grandchildren and 12 great-great-grandchildren – and performed the task commendably.
While the presidents and church leaders reached for superlatives that have all been used, Nandi drew on touching anecdotes to remind us of her tatamkhulu’s – or grandad’s – very human side.
Even Mandela’s widow, Graca Machel, managed to smile as she told a story he had often related: about his youthful efforts to charm a pretty girl over dinner, which failed miserably – because he couldn’t pierce a rubbery piece of chicken with his fork.
Last steps: After being carefully taken from his
gun carriage, Mandela's coffin was wheeled the final few yards before
being placed above his final resting place
United in grief: Mandela's widow Graca Michel
(centre) and his ex-wife Winnie Mandela (left) tearfully comforted one
another as they sat next to president Jacob Zuma and Mandela's grandson
Mandla as he was laid to rest
Special tribute: The South African air force fly
over Mandela's grave in the hills of Qunu where he grew up, which was
accompanied by a 21-gun salute
A nation in mourning: Three helicopters carrying
South African flags fly over the burial site as a much smaller crowd of
mourners watched the great statesman laid to rest after 10 days of
official mourning
Air force tribute: A squadron of South African
jets flew across the skies above the Eastern Cape hills where Mandela
spent his formative years
APOLOGY FOR MAGGIE SLUR
Save
the Children has been forced to apologise for tweeting a tasteless joke
about the late Margaret Thatcher during Nelson Mandela’s memorial.
A message posted on the charity’s UK Twitter account appeared to blame Baroness Thatcher for the pouring rain in Johannesburg last week, where thousands gathered to pay their respects to the former South African leader.
The tweet to its 70,000 followers read: ‘I see it has rained all over the Mandela memorial. Has Thatcher already privatised the weather?’ A charity spokesman said: ‘It was wrong that this was tweeted and we apologise if anyone was offended.’
A message posted on the charity’s UK Twitter account appeared to blame Baroness Thatcher for the pouring rain in Johannesburg last week, where thousands gathered to pay their respects to the former South African leader.
The tweet to its 70,000 followers read: ‘I see it has rained all over the Mandela memorial. Has Thatcher already privatised the weather?’ A charity spokesman said: ‘It was wrong that this was tweeted and we apologise if anyone was offended.’
With a leopard skin draped over his black suit and tie, he proudly recounted Mandela’s ancestral roots with a poetry and romanticism that would have been impossible to match in the English language.
Thanks to my Xhosa translator, I just about got the gist of it.
The only pity was that so few of the local people, with whom Mandela loved to sit and swap tales in his later years, were there to see and hear this dramatic spectacle.
Mandela would surely have wanted them to witness him being returned to the peaty hills he roamed as a child, for according to Xhosa traditions, the entire community is free to be there as one of their number is returned to his spiritual ancestors.
Yet, to their anger, only a handful of village elders were accredited.
Sadly, there were really two very different funerals yesterday. One for the 4,500 VIP guests whisked from the closed-down nearby airport in limos and a fleet of white buses, and another for the thousands kept at bay by roadblocks and soldiers, and treated as interlopers in their own village.
Ceremonial: The fly-past was accompanied by a
21-gun salute and a solitary trumpeter played the Last Post while his
body was lowered into the ground
Burial: The military carry Mandela's body along the pathway to the area where South Africa's beloved son's burial site in Qunu
Procession: After the funeral South Africa's
military took over and followed Mandela's coffin up the hill to his
family plot where he was buried
Funeral procession: After the four hour memorial
service Mandela's body on a gun carriage led by troops and followed by
his family in cars
[caption
Arm in arm: Mandela's second wife Winnie
Madikizela Mandela (far right) and the statesman's widow Graca Machel
(centre) walk together as he is about to be buried
PRIDE OF PLACE FOR ADAMS
The Sinn Fein leader – who once headed the IRA – had his name read out between human rights activist Jesse Jackson and Oprah Winfrey in a list of ‘eminent persons’ attending the event.
As a longstanding supporter of the ruling African National Congress, Mr Adams became a ubiquitous presence during a week of events to mark the anti-apartheid icon’s death.
He has always credited Mr Mandela as playing a major role in the Irish peace process.
But an ANC spokesman revealed he was not easily understood by the elder statesman. ‘When Gerry left, Madiba used to say, “Chaps, what was he saying?”’
For earlier, when the coffin was removed from a military plane, the Sinn Fein leader marched behind it, in the guard of honour.
Then there was Oprah Winfrey, who was somehow permitted to bring Gayle King, her best friend and editor of her magazine, as well as her husband Stedman Graham.
To his niece, Gloria, 49, Mandela was more than an uncle; as she told me, he was her ‘inspiration’.
When she applied for a pass to the funeral, however, he was told there was insufficient room.
So, with her husband, Driver, 52, their six children and other family members, she sat through the saddest day of her life in her dank hut, one of many sprinkled across the hills.
As we watched the ceremony unfold together, for long periods Gloria stared silently at the screen, lost in her memories of the man who would call in for a pot of tea as he drove down the rutted track to see his controversial grandson and heir, Mandla.
As the names of the celebrities in the dome were read aloud, though, she began weeping softly. ‘My uncle loved us and we loved him, but these people – who are they?’ she sobbed, rubbing her eyes with her blue pinafore.
Leaving her with her grief and frustration, I juddered along the dirt-track, to ‘Mandela Mound’, where hundreds of well-wishers were queuing for meaty broth, served in plastic cartons, before sitting cross-legged on the grass to watch events on the big screen.
They really ought to have been part of the main event, because beneath their own marquee, shading them from the fierce sun, they looked a picture in their colourful outfits and fancy hats.
PM: PLEASE SAVE THAT SELFIE!
David
Cameron has begged the Danish prime minister not to delete the ‘selfie’
she took with him and Barack Obama, saying it could be used to raise money
for charity.
Helle Thorning-Schmidt had vowed to destroy the smartphone photo taken at the Nelson Mandela memorial last week. But Mr Cameron is understood to have pleaded for her to save it so it can be auctioned for good causes.
The Prime Minister has faced criticism for allowing his picture to be taken alongside Miss Thorning-Schmidt and the US President at the memorial. Critics said the move was in bad taste at what should have been a sombre event to mark the life of the South African anti-apartheid hero.
But the Daily Mail understands Mr Cameron believes much of the coverage of his decision to pose for the selfie was ‘too po-faced’ as the memorial was ‘more about celebrating his life than a sombre occasion’.
He also believes claims that First Lady Michelle Obama was annoyed by her husband’s apparent ‘flirting’ with the blonde Danish PM were ‘deeply unfair’ and that she was not at all angry. Miss Thorning-Schmidt, the daughter-in-law of former Labour leader Lord Kinnock, has refused to part with the smartphone image describing it as ‘private’.
for charity.Helle Thorning-Schmidt had vowed to destroy the smartphone photo taken at the Nelson Mandela memorial last week. But Mr Cameron is understood to have pleaded for her to save it so it can be auctioned for good causes.
The Prime Minister has faced criticism for allowing his picture to be taken alongside Miss Thorning-Schmidt and the US President at the memorial. Critics said the move was in bad taste at what should have been a sombre event to mark the life of the South African anti-apartheid hero.
But the Daily Mail understands Mr Cameron believes much of the coverage of his decision to pose for the selfie was ‘too po-faced’ as the memorial was ‘more about celebrating his life than a sombre occasion’.
He also believes claims that First Lady Michelle Obama was annoyed by her husband’s apparent ‘flirting’ with the blonde Danish PM were ‘deeply unfair’ and that she was not at all angry. Miss Thorning-Schmidt, the daughter-in-law of former Labour leader Lord Kinnock, has refused to part with the smartphone image describing it as ‘private’.
BBC FACES MORE COMPLAINTS
Complaints about ‘excessive’ BBC coverage of Nelson Mandela’s death continued yesterday as he was laid to rest.
His funeral took up the top 19 items on the BBC News website, and dominated the broadcaster’s radio and television output.
The Corporation sent 140 staff to cover Mr Mandela’s final journey.
But like every other broadcaster, it could not show the actual interment as this was deemed private by the family.
More than 2,000 viewers and listeners are now thought to have lodged complaints.
Caroline Nesbitt told Radio 4’s Feedback programme: ‘He was a giant of a man.
'But the coverage was just too much, too much, too much.’
David Handworth added: ‘Why does the BBC so regularly misjudge events of this type,and fall into a narcissistic coma?’
The Corporation has broadcast more than 100 programmes on Mr Mandela since he died 11 days ago.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘Nelson Mandela was a hugely significant world leader. After the initial announcement of his death we have increasingly covered other stories.’
His funeral took up the top 19 items on the BBC News website, and dominated the broadcaster’s radio and television output.
The Corporation sent 140 staff to cover Mr Mandela’s final journey.
But like every other broadcaster, it could not show the actual interment as this was deemed private by the family.
More than 2,000 viewers and listeners are now thought to have lodged complaints.
Caroline Nesbitt told Radio 4’s Feedback programme: ‘He was a giant of a man.
'But the coverage was just too much, too much, too much.’
David Handworth added: ‘Why does the BBC so regularly misjudge events of this type,and fall into a narcissistic coma?’
The Corporation has broadcast more than 100 programmes on Mr Mandela since he died 11 days ago.
A BBC spokesman said: ‘Nelson Mandela was a hugely significant world leader. After the initial announcement of his death we have increasingly covered other stories.’
Civil rights campaigner: American Jesse Jackson,
a close friend of Mandela's meets Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, right, and
Lindiwe Sisulu, left, at the burial
Religious movement: Archbishop Desmond Tutu,
centre, is surrounded by clergymen at his Christian burial after his
state funeral was dominated by political eulogies
Representing the UK: Prince Charles stands
alongside Judith Macgregor, British High Commissioner in South Africa as
they watch Mandela finally laid to rest
Gathered to remember Madiba: South Africa's
president Jacob Zuma (2nd left), Mandela's ex-wife Winnie Mandela
(left), and the widow of Mandela, Graca Machel (3rd left), sit by his
coffin
Embrace: Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who initially
claimed he had not been invited to the funeral, hugs former president
Thabo Mbeki
Respect: Candles are lit under a portrait of Nelson Mandela before his funeral. One for every year of his life
Dignitaries: Prince Charles, right, arrives for
the state funeral on Sunday and is greeted by a fellow mourner who
welcomed him to the Quno service
Representing Britain: The Queen sent the Prince
of Wales, pictured here speaking to Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a politician
and former wife of Jacob Zuma
Mourners: US talk show host Oprah Winfrey,
centre, her husband Stedman Graham, left, and English businessman
Richard Branson, right, watching the state funeral service
Star: British actor Idris Elba, who played
Mandela in Long Walk To Freedom, also attended the state funeral - the
first in South Africa's democratic history
Eulogy: South African President Jacob Zuma told
the assembled mourners that 'Madiba' was 'a fountain of wisdom, a pillar
of strength and a beacon of hope' for those fighting oppression in his
country and around the world
Though
some said they were angered at having to watch from the hill, they will
surely always remember being present at one of the great moments in
history. Xhosa culture requires a burial to have been completed by noon, when the sun is at its highest and its shadows at their shortest.
But as master of ceremonies Cyril Ramaphosa remarked, it was impossible to do justice to Nelson Mandela in a few hours, and the noon deadline was missed by some 45 minutes.
Stickler as he was for discipline, the man who cast the longest shadow would have been a little annoyed about that. But how proud he would have been yesterday at the way the world marked his passing.
Loss of an icon: A mourner weeps as he watches
the funeral service for former South African President Nelson Mandela on
a large screen television in Cape Town
Hard to take: Mourners console each other as
they watch a broadcast of the state funeral of former South African
President Nelson Mandela, at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg
Hero: An ANC member sobs in Johannesburg
yesterday morning as the world said its final goodbye to 'Madiba' on the
tenth day of mourning in South Africa
Celebration of life: Men in tribal Zulu warrior dress perform ritual dances on the area overlooking the burial ceremony
Heroic: Warriors pay a personal tribute to the Nobel Peace Prize winner and revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa who died on December 5 at the age of 95
winner and revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa who died on December 5 at the age of 95
Final journey: The coffin carrying former South
African President Nelson Mandela is escorted into his state funeral
service in Qunu yesterday morning
Eulogy: Mandela's granddaughter Nand takes to the podium to pay her tributes to the leader
Paying their final respects: Nelson Mandela's
grandsons Ndaba (left) and Mandla Mandela (centre) look at the coffin as
they attend the funeral ceremony of the South African former president
Procession: Military officers accompany the coffin into the funeral as others stand to attention
Wives: Grace Machel, left, and Winnie
Madikizela-Mandela, right, have led South Africa in mourning for the man
they were both married to
Speech: Joyce Banda, the president of Malawi, was one of many African leaders to pay tribute to Mandela at the service
Stage: The speakers delivered their addresses in front of 95 candles, representing every year of Mandela's life
Moved: Mandela's daughter Makaziwe, centre, sits in front of her father's coffin during the ceremony
Tears: The former president's daughter Zindzi comforts another mourner
Packing out the building: Soldiers moved in to
fill some of the empty chairs during the funeral service, despite many
people complaining about being left off the invite list
Tradition: Mandela's casket, covered in the
nation's flag, was placed on a cattle skin as the service combined
elements of traditional and state funerals
Display: The coffin of former South African
President Nelson Mandela is seen draped in a South African national flag
during his funeral in his ancestral village of Qunu
State funeral: Mandela's coffin is carried into the white tent for the service by senior military figures and an Army chaplain
Support: African National Congress supporters
chant before the start of the funeral, which began with the national
anthem of Mandela's beloved country
Dignitaries: Anti-apartheid activist and friend
Ahmed Kathrada, right, with former South Africa president Thabo Mbeki
speak before the service
United in grief: Mandela's widow Graca Machel,
above, and his former wife Winnie, below, arrived holding hands and sat
together for the service that lasted around four hours
Traditional: Mandla Mandela right, grandson of
former South African president Nelson Mandela, during his grandfather's
funeral wearing a tribal head piece
Honour and respect: A gun salute is fired as the funeral procession nears the Mandela family compound at the start of yesterday
Song of freedom: This Zulu man stood with others
in Qunu singing traditional songs celebrating Mandela's life and how he
overcame his struggles
Tribute: Zulu men carry traditional weapons and
shields in honour of their country's leader, who helped free South
Africa after years of apartheid
Final goodbye: The flag-draped casket of South
Africa's first black president arrives in Mandela's village at just
after dawn yesterday
Coming home: A parade of servicemen lead the
casket to the funeral through the Eastern cape hills 'Tata' - as he was
known - loved all his life
Home at last: Military officers and Nelson
Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela, rear, accompany the casket of the
former South African President as it arrives in Qunu
Prayer: A traditional Shembe priest offers prayers as he looks towards the dome where Mandela's funeral was held
Tradition: Mandela's grandson Mandla Mandela,
right, watches as local chiefs escort the lion skin draped casket of
former South African President as it arrives at the Mandela residence in
Qunu
Winnie Mandela (left), ex-wife of former South
African President, and Graca Macel, widow of Mandela, wipe away tears as
his flag-draped coffin arrives at the Mthata airport
A last look at the father of the nation: Locals
take photos as Mandela's hearse nears Qunu, a small hamlet in South
Africa's Eastern Cape province where he grew up
A military guard of honour stands to attention
at the Mandela family's homestead in Qunu. Mandela, the revered icon of
the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the towering
political figures of the 20th century, died in Johannesburg on December 5
at age 95
Hero: A woman raises her fist in salute as she watches
the hearse carrying her country's first black president drive by on the
way to his final resting place
Loved by the people: The motorcade transporting
Mandela's body passes through crowds of mourners gathered in the town of
Mthatha on its way to Qunu
Patriotism: Mourners wave and
cheer as the hearse transporting the flag-draped casket containing Mandela's body as it passes through the town of Mthatha
Paying respects: Thousands of mourners line the
streets of Umthatha as the enormous convoy of police, military and other
vehicles sweeps through their town
Full military honours: Fighter jets escort the
military plane carrying the coffin of former South African President
Nelson Mandela as it is flown to Mandela's home in the village of Qunu,
Easte
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